1
: a period of inactivity or idleness
2
: the act of laying off an employee or a workforce
also
: shutdown
laid off; laying off; lays off
1
: to mark or measure off
2
: to cease to employ (a worker) often temporarily
3
of a bookie
: to place all or part of (an accepted bet) with another bookie to reduce the risk
1
: to stop doing or taking something
2
: to leave one alone
wish you'd just lay off
Examples of layoff in a Sentence
Noun
The company announced the layoff of several hundred employees.
More layoffs are expected at the factory later this year.
The band finally has a new album after a three year layoff.
a layoff of three years
Verb
you need to lay off eating those jelly doughnuts, or you'll end up looking like one
Recent Examples on the Web
Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
Investors hope Wednesday’s decision will bolster the cooling labor market and spur more growth, but tariffs and layoffs could complicate policymakers’ path.
—semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
His principal West Coast journalistic rival, the Los Angeles Times has, meanwhile, become a symbol of media fragility, having laid off 74 staffers this year alone.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Johnston cautioned earlier in the week that any council attempts to shift dollars between departments would cause more layoffs and possible cuts to services.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
Investors hope Wednesday’s decision will bolster the cooling labor market and spur more growth, but tariffs and layoffs could complicate policymakers’ path.
—semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
Managers generally lay off workers for objective and subjective reasons, said Alan Guarino, vice chairman of CEO and board services at Korn Ferry.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
His principal West Coast journalistic rival, the Los Angeles Times has, meanwhile, become a symbol of media fragility, having laid off 74 staffers this year alone.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Cite this Entry
“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layoff. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
layoff
1 of 2 noun
lay·off
ˈlā-ˌȯf 
1
: the act of laying off an employee or a work force
2
: a period during which there is no activity
lay off
2 of 2 verb(ˈ)lā-ˈȯf
1
: to mark or measure off
2
: to stop employing (a person) often temporarily
lay off workers
3
: to stop doing or taking something
lay off of that stuff
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share